Education, Health and Care Needs Assessments

The majority of children and young people with special education needs (SEN) or disabilities will have the support they need within local mainstream early years settings, schools or colleges through SEN Support, but for some children and young people, there may be concerns about the progress they are making within their settings, even with this support.

Some of these children and young people may require something called an Education, Health and Care (EHC) needs assessment so it is clear what their special educational needs are - often referred to as an EHCNA. 

The stages that must be followed during an EHCNA are the same for all Local Authorities in England, and are laid out in the SEND Code of Practice.

The following people can request an EHC needs assessment for a child or young person aged between 0 and 25:

• The child's parent or carer
• A young person over the age of 16 but under the age of 25
• A person acting on behalf of a school or post-16 institution

In addition, anyone else can bring a child or young person who has (or may have) SEN to the attention of the local authority, particularly where they think an EHC needs assessment may be necessary. This could include, for example, foster carers, health and social care professionals, early years practitioners, youth offending teams or probation services.

We would always encourage families, schools and other professionals to work together to discuss the provision in place for a child, review what is working, what else might be appropriate and to consider together whether an EHCNA might be appropriate. Regardless of who makes the initial request, we will always then seek advice from all the people listed below.

Schools often hold the most comprehensive records of a child or young person's needs and the support and provision that has already been put in place, and so EHCNA requests most often come from them. However, any of the people listed above can make the initial EHCNA request via our EHC Portal.

When the Local Authority receive a request for an EHC Needs Assessment, we must consider whether this assessment is necessary based on the information provided. If the assessment is not agreed, then you will be contacted with further information about options for next steps.

When the Local Authority receive a request for an EHC Needs Assessment, we must consider whether this assessment is necessary based on the information provided. If the assessment is not agreed, then you will be contacted with further information about options for next steps.

If it is agreed to go ahead with an EHC needs assessment, the Local Authority will request information from :

• the child’s parent or carer
• the young person themselves
• the health service (the relevant Integrated Care Board (ICB) or NHS England where it has responsibility for a child or young person)
• local authority officers responsible for social care for children or young people with SEN
• where a child attends an early years setting, the manager of that setting
• where a child or young person is registered at a school, the head teacher (or equivalent)
• where the young person attends a post-16 institution, the principal (or equivalent)

Local authorities then use the information from the assessment to:

• establish and record the views, interests and aspirations of the parents and child or young person
  provide a full description of the child or young person’s special educational needs and any health and social care needs
• establish outcomes across education, health and social care based on the child or young person’s needs and aspirations
• specify the provision required and how education, health and care services will work together to meet the child or young person’s needs and support the achievement of the agreed outcomes

Assessment Outcomes

The Local Authority then has the responsibility to decide whether it is necessary to issue something called an Education, Health and Care Plan or EHCP; to specify additional support and provision for the child or young person additional to that which is normally available from SEN Support. An EHC needs assessment will not always lead to an EHC plan.

The information gathered during an EHC needs assessment may indicate ways in which the school, college or other provider can meet the child or young person’s needs without an EHC plan.

Read more about EHC Plans here.

Like elsewhere across the country, Suffolk County Council has seen a steady increase in requests for Education, Health, and Care Needs Assessments (EHCNA). At the same time, there is a national and local shortage of Educational Psychologists. This means some families have been waiting longer than usual for the psychological advice and information that is part of the EHCNA process.

To keep up with the demand we continue to work with private Educational Psychologists to help complete EP advice. We are continuing to recruit more council-employed Educational Psychologists, and we are also using Assistant Psychologists and Trainee Educational Psychologists where appropriate.

Background on the Role of Educational Psychologists within the EHCNA Process

Educational Psychologists provide EP advice as part of the EHCNA process. This might include observations, talking with adults who know them well, and assessments including joint assessment meetings. These can happen in person or online, depending on the needs of the child or young person and in line with professional practice guidance.

While virtual methods are often sufficient, face-to-face visits may be necessary in some cases. The Educational Psychologist will also look at existing reports (including private EP reports), and work with others involved to build a full picture of the child or young person’s needs.

Resources and Further Information

You can find more about our approach and access helpful resources via the Suffolk County Council webpages:

Psychology & Therapeutic Services

Consultation and assessment - Suffolk County Council

We remain committed to adapting our approach and exploring new ways of working to meet our statutory duties as efficiently as possible.